Fred “Pal” Barger has done a lot for his hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee.
The founder of the quick-service chain Pal’s Sudden Service recently donated more than $1 million to help build an athletic field house and scoreboard for his alma mater Dobyns-Bennett High School; to erect an automotive...

After outperforming Wall Street the past few years, the stock prices of restaurant companies with quick-service concepts finished a bit worse than the overall market in 2014.
Slightly more than half of limited-service dining companies’ stocks were bested by the Standard & Poor’s 500 index last...

Inexpensive. Nutritious. Filling. Easy to prepare. Easily transported. Delicious hot, cold, or at room temperature. Storable for years.
Other than noodles and pasta, the number of foods that meet all of these criteria is … well, zero, by my count. Perhaps that’s why these endlessly versatile...

THE Q&A
We spoke with officials at the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers about what attendees can expect from this year’s event.
What is the purpose of the NAFEM Show?
The NAFEM Show features foodservice equipment and supplies from 500-plus manufacturers. At the show,...

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

Every city has its hole-in-the wall spots that locals and foodies swear by. In Houston, family-owned Frenchy’s Chicken is on that list. The 46-year-old chicken brand’s Scott Street location is an institution. Its Creole-seasoned chicken is a “best of” winner in several publications year after year...

More than two decades ago, Pizza Hut sold its first pizza online—reportedly the first thing ever sold on the Internet. Ever since, the nation’s pizza chains have been leading the way in online sales innovation. And this year, that innovation is expected to continue as pizza brands fight off a stiff...

Tim Hortons has devoted fans in the U.S. One need only to read the Twitter and Facebook feed on the brand’s U.S. website to see the passion. “Can you please open a Tim Hortons in Cincinnati???” writes Kevin Ryne Laile. “I just had the best/fastest/nicest @TimHortonsUS service!! The new one at 5...

With 20 entries on QSR’s Growth 40 report, an annual listing of the 40 U.S. markets best positioned for quick-service restaurant expansion, the South’s dominance shines from Florida to Texas and up to the Mason-Dixon line in markets big and small.

The launch of a new product line is a noteworthy event for any quick-serve. But for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, its new potato chips are a mere side item to a meatier rollout: a foundation to benefit law enforcement officers and firefighters.

Asking how a chain and an independent restaurant differ may seem like a deceptively simple question, with the most obvious answer being that independents have one unit—or maybe two, according to an official definition from The NPD Group—while chains are larger in both size and scale.

The fast-casual renaissance that has taken over the restaurant industry in the last decade has lately infused excitement and momentum into the broader limited-service sector. Market research firm Mintel found that sales at fast-casual restaurants grew 10.5 percent last year, compared with 6.1...

Though U.S. consumption is well below other proteins today, seafood will likely be an increasingly important part of the American diet in the years to come. The country’s population is predicted to grow by 89 million between 2010 and 2050 to 401 million people. More people require more food—and...

When fast-casual chain Zoës Kitchen Inc. debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last April, the Plano, Texas–based Mediterranean-style eatery recorded its initial public offering at $87.5 million. Satisfying an investor appetite for investments within the trendy fast-casual space, Zoës’ strong...

Convenience stores are increasingly taking a larger slice out of the quick-serve pie with fresh food offerings. It’s become such a lucrative business for C-stores that Sheetz, the Pennsylvania-based C-store chain that this week opened its 500th location, is planning stores designed more as fast...

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

Kevin Kester’s family has been farming in the U.S. for generations. And it’s not just a couple of generations they’ve been farming; more like generations upon generations, way back to the 1600s, specifically in California since the 1860s. Today, Kester owns a 22,000-acre beef cattle ranch in...